A personal reflection on a scientist who shaped modern virology and the people around him

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I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bernard Roizman, the “Godfather of Herpesvirus (HSV),” on April 13, 2026.

To the scientific community, Bernard was a towering figure. As the Joseph Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, he helped define the field of modern virology. His work established the fundamental principles of herpesvirus DNA structure, mapped the HSV genome, and revealed how its genes are regulated.…